Police said Popplewell blamed his 5-year-old daughter who was there at the time, for hurting the child's face. Investigators said Popplewell couldn't account for all the injuries and was quiet when asked about them.

Cases of boyfriends abusing children are becoming more common, according to child experts.

Hamilton County Job and Family Services said in 2010, 35 percent of child abuse deaths happened at the hands of the mom's boyfriend. The agency even sponsored a campaign called knowthewarningsigns.com to raise awareness to parents.

"Unfortunately, it's not a situation where the mother always knows what's going to happen, may not fully know the background and may not have all the day care options that many people in our community have," said Tracy Cook, executive director of Pro Kids. "Sometimes that's how you end up in these situations that are dangerous and tragic for these kids."

Cook said the community is responsible for it children and if neighbors see a mother struggling to take care of a child, they should offer to help because in the long run, removing a child from violence, affects the entire community.

Experts said when moms are choosing a partner, they are not just choosing for themselves, they're choosing for their children, too.

"Sometimes people with fewer choices often take risk when they don't fully know the background of someone they've invited into their home," said Cook.

Popplewell is charged with endangering children. Bond was set at $100,000. He was ordered to have no contact with the child.